1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to a surgical stapling device for applying surgical staples to body tissue wherein the knife blade of the surgical stapling device is coated. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a surgical stapling device suitable for performing circular anastomosis of hollow tissue organs wherein the knife blade of the surgical stapling device is coated with a lubricious coating.
2. Background to Related Art
Anastomosis is the surgical joining of separate hollow organ sections. Typically, an anastomosis procedure follows surgery in which a diseased or defective section of hollow tissue is removed and the remaining end sections are to be joined. Depending on the desired anastomosis procedure, the end sections may be joined by either circular, end-to-side or side-to-side organ reconstruction methods.
In a circular anastomosis procedure, the two ends of the organ sections are joined by means of a stapling instrument which drives a circular array of staples through the end section of each organ section and simultaneously cores any tissue interior of the driven circular array of staples to free the tubular passage. Examples of instruments for performing circular anastomosis of hollow organs are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,053,390, 5,588,579, 5,119,983, 5,005,749, 4,646,745, 4,576,167, and 4,473,077, each of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. Typically, these instruments include an elongated shaft having a handle portion at a proximal end to actuate the instrument and a staple holding component disposed at a distal end. An anvil assembly including an anvil rod with attached anvil head is mounted to the distal end adjacent the staple holding component. Opposed end portions of tissue of the organs to be stapled are clamped between the anvil head and the staple holding component. The clamped tissue is stapled by driving one or more staples from the staple holding component so that the ends of the staples pass through the tissue and are deformed by the anvil head. A circular knife blade is advanced into contact with the anvil to core any tissue positioned therebetween. Smooth movement of the knife blade through the tissue is desirable. It would also be desirable to avoid sticking of the tissue being cut or any portion of the anvil structure to the knife blade.
Accordingly, a need exists for a stapling device with a knife blade possessing enhanced lubricity for cutting tissue and minimizing sticking of the knife blade to tissue or other components of the stapling instrument.